Woah. In seven years of ardent gig-going, I don’t think I’ve ever seen anything quite like THAT. Anja Plaschg is clearly an incredibly gifted musician; but she’s also got some serious demons in her past. Tonight, the 20-year-old Austrian wunderkund performed with a string ensemble, and they certainly added much to the performance; “Cry Wolf” was one of the most achingly beautiful songs I‘ve heard this year, “Marche Funebre” more bleakly gothic than ever. But it’s her personal intensity that makes her such a compelling, unsettling presence. During Spiracle, one of her most powerful songs, she froze - completely. People started to tentatively clap; she shouted at them to stop. She ran to her backing singer who quietly comforted her, and then, a full minute later she returned, imbuing the rest of a song with a vitriolic passion that genuinely scared me a little. Ditto a German song she dedicated to her father; whilst one couldn’t understand the words, the ill-suppressed rage was clear to see. Of course, she could be an amazing actress, but even if she was, that doesn’t detract from the power of her live performance; whilst she can be draining, cold, even frightening, she’s also one-of-a-kind.
(Photo: Anika Mottershaw)
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